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  1. Tulare County Court
  2. Tulare County Arrest Records

Tulare County, California Arrest Records

Tulare County arrest records are information maintained by criminal justice agencies regarding the arrest and detention of individuals who are suspected or have been confirmed guilty of a crime. While the content of an arrest record typically varies by the law regulating retention, in Tulare County, most arrest records include the full name of the arrestee, physical descriptors, the charge, and the individual's release information as prescribed by law. 

By Government Code Sections 6250–6270 of the California Public Records Act, criminal justice agencies, including the Tulare County Sheriff's Office and city law enforcement agencies such as the Visalia Police Department and the Tulare Police Department, are required to maintain arrest records as evidence of compliance with the justice administration procedure.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Tulare, California?

Tulare County arrest records are generally public, but not all. The California Public Records Act restricts access to certain sensitive or confidential records. These include: 

  • Details that could affect the effectiveness of an ongoing investigation
  • Disclose the private information of an individual; or
  • Records that have been ordered sealed by the pronouncement of a judge. 

Records that are not restricted by state law are open to public inspection and copying. As a result, any person, whether living in the county or not, can approach the appropriate custodian and request to examine or copy specific records. Custodians are encouraged and should naturally provide these records promptly upon request.

What Do Public County Arrest Records Contain?

Tulare County arrest records generally contains public information relating to a person's arrest or detention, which typically includes:

  • The full name of the arrested individual
  • Physical descriptors such as race, height, and date of birth
  • The charges
  • The date, time and location of arrest
  • The arresting agency
  • Booking details,  including booking number
  • Bail information;
  • Custody status; active or released

Certain details or records are usually redacted or withheld in the interest of the justice administration process and to protect the private information of the individual. These include:

  • The arrested individual’s given statement after arrest
  • Details of the arrested individual's monitored phone calls after arrest
  • Expunged records - records of arrest that have been expressly prohibited from disclosure by the order of a competent court 
  • A juvenile's arrest record
  • Records critical to the integrity of an ongoing investigation
  • The identifying information of a witness or an informant

Exempted records help to balance the private interest of the individual with that of the public’s right of access to government information, allowing access only when the public's right of access outweighs the private rights of an individual.

Tulare County,  California Arrest Search

There are multiple avenues for accessing Tulare County arrest records. The state provides one through the Tulare County Superior Court Case Inquiry system. Through this online system, individuals can perform record searches by the defendant's name and the unique case number assigned to the individual during arraignment.

If a record is not appearing on the system, requests may be directed to:

Tulare County Superior Court-Visalia Courthouse

221 S Mooney Blvd # 

201, Visalia, CA 93291, 

United States

Dinuba Division
640 South Alta Avenue,
Dinuba, CA 93618
United States
559-595-6400

There's an associated cost for a request; $15 for a maximum of 15 names per request. Send the request along with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check or money order for the appropriate amount

If an individual was arrested by a federal law enforcement agency, the record of their arrest can be retrieved via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) System. PACER is a federal government designated search tool for viewing criminal case files, including arrests and final dispositions of federal detainees from virtually anywhere within the country, including Ventura County, California. Registered users may utilize this online resource to search for criminal case files tied to an arrest by name or case number for a fee. 

The Bureau of Prison also offers the BOP Inmate Locator Tool for conducting online searches for incarcerated individuals by name or file case number.

Tulare County Inmate Locator

Tulare County Sheriff's Office provides the fastest local resource for conducting a general search for Tulare County arrestees.

Records of arrested individuals who are currently being detained are available through the Tulare County Sheriff's Office website. Through the inmate information search tool available on the website, anyone can conduct searches using the arrested individual's name or other relevant search criteria. Accessing this online search tool requires:

  • Visiting the Tulare County Sheriff's Office website
  • Click on the “I need too…” option at the top of the page
  • Navigate to “Search inmate information”
  • Scroll through the inmate list to locate a specific inmate; once identified, click on “view” to open up more informal about the inmate
  • Because locating an inmate by scrolling through the list may be strenuous, the page is designed to allow more specific searches by entering the inmate's name in the search field located atop the page
  • Click on “view” from the desired search result to see more tails like the arresting agency, where the individual is currently being detained, and the charge. 

For additional inquiries individuals can contact the Tulare County Sheriff's Office using this address:

Tulare County Sheriff's Office

Headquarters

833 S. Akers St.

Visalia, California 93277

Office Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM

Monday - Friday (Closed on Holidays)

24 hours per day for emergency services

Phone: (559) 802-9400

Active Warrant Search in Tulare County

Active arrest warrants are legal documents issued by a judge or a magistrate ordering the arrest of an individual who is suspected of committing a crime. The document is usually regarded as active when the individual is still at large and is yet to be arrested. 

Active arrest warrants are typically issued after evidence from a subsequent investigation has been presented before a judge, suggesting that an individual was responsible for the occurrence of a prior criminal incident. In most cases, the judge will issue a legal document containing:

  • The individual's name
  • The prospective charge
  • The arresting agency to whom it is addressed
  • A legal command requiring law enforcement to take an individual into custody
  • The name and signature of the issuing judge

Because these documents are typically issued to make an arrest lawful. Once issued, it implies that the individual may be lawfully arrested anywhere he's found within state borders and taken into custody. 

Being a government record, arrest warrants are generally public information, but they are often not publicly listed in the same way as an arrest record. 

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office plays an active role in the execution of most Tulare County arrest warrants; inquiries for warrants may be directed to the office at:

Tulare County Sheriff's Office

Headquarters

833 S. Akers St.

Visalia, California 93277

Office Hours: 8 AM - 5 PM

Monday - Friday (Closed on Holidays)

24 hours per day for emergency services

Phone: (559) 802-9400

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Tulare County

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency in Tulare County. In this capacity, the Sheriff's Office provides arrest records to the public through its official website. These records are generally available for free, which can be sought by visiting the Tulare County Sheriff's Office website and navigating to inmate search to conduct searches by name without paying a fee.  

Searches may not indicate if the individual has been released. Furthermore, because search results are often displayed as exhaustive, it may be impossible to tell if certain information has been excluded from a record.

More comprehensive records are usually obtainable in person at the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.

Tulare County Arrest Report

An arrest report is a documented account of an arresting officer's initial encounter with an arrested individual. It typically documents the officer's direct observation at the time of arrest, including:

  • The suspect's name
  • The arresting officer’s name
  • The arresting agency
  • The suspect's conduct prior to arrest
  • Overt actions leading to probable cause for arrest
  • Weapons recovered
  • Personal identifying information
  • Date, time and location of arrest

Arrest reports typically constitute the internal records of the arresting agency, making access to these records subject to more stringent requirements. 

In contrast, arrest records typically serve as evidence of an individual's detention and processing into the county's jail population, showing the individual's name, fingerprints, photographs, charges, and booking details. 

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Tulare County

Under California law, the primary method for arresting an arrest or conviction record is dismissal, not expungement. While expungement suggests a complete erasure of a record, a dismissal does not erase it entirely. Instead, it limits public access, though the records remain visible to courts, law enforcement, and certain licensing bodies. 

Even so, a person whose case has been dismissed is generally permitted to state, in most situations, that they have not been convicted of the offense. 

Although some serious offenses, particularly certain violent or sexual crimes, are not eligible for expungement relief, individuals may still apply for dismissal California Penal Code s 1203.4 if they meet specific requirements. These typically include successfully completing probation, having probation terminated early, or, in cases where no probation was imposed, waiting at least one year after conviction. In addition, the applicant must not be facing new charges, on probation, serving another sentence, and the sentence must not have involved state prison.

Once eligible, the individual can file a petition using Form CR-180 and pay the required filing fee, which usually falls between $60 to $120. In some cases, the court may schedule a hearing before making a decision. 

California’s Clean Slate Law ( SB 731)  provides for automatic record relief in certain situations after a specified period, removing the need to file a petition. 

How Do You Remove Tulare County Arrest Records From the Internet?

Obtaining a dismissal order will normally cause an arrest or a criminal conviction record to be removed from all public-facing databases, including online search systems. However, extra steps may need to be taken to get third-party sites to remove published records.

Each platform has its own deletion process which may require individuals to submit proof of identity, a certified copy of sealing or dismissal order, and the specific link where the information appears.